Chart table



Jan. 2, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. 3, 1945 l Q J J l l l l I l l I l f I l I 1 l l l 4 I E. L. DODSON Jah. 2, 1951 CHART TABLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 3, 1945 v Patented Jan. 2, 1,951

AUIQIEZ) OFFICE D@IlART lpp'a-l. Dodson, Washington, D. Appiioatianihxgnst 3, 1945-, Ser'iai-'No/Gttct f1 My invention relates to an improvement lin a chart table.

`For Lmany years `nfia-'rin'ers have fof .necessity 'carefully followed fcoast .and fgeo'detic charts to aidthem Lin navigation. These ychartsare printed on :large sheets 'of Vspecial paper, v'and all Amarkings there-on are carefully arranged according to fa predetermined scale.

yIn Vusing the-'se charts, amariner .preferablyllays :a'ehar't out on alflat surface so that he may read-ily use his instruments, such 4as 'parallel .ru-les., Sprotractors, dividers and the like, while .plotting a. .course he .intends to lnavigate. Often a given course to be liollowed will .require ytheuse of v.more than fone chart, .and consequently-one 'ch-art 'must rbe removed and vreplaeed with l-'ai1'oI.ltier-.

'Ifo obviate some of lthe v'eommon obiections fu'nd with some chart 'tables Fi1f1pri's'eflt dal? "use, I have developed my chart table.

.An object of my .invention-lis to provide-a chart table.having-r"c-llers on which Ia plurality 'of charts, 'which -have been secured together along opposite margins, may be readily rolled andlmoved over fa flat surface.

A further object is to provide a chart table over which a series of charts may 'be passed and he held securely and flatly for use.

A further object is to provide a chart table which is adapted to hold av series of lprearranged charts on a 'flat sr'face, and which 'may be placed on any convenient surface -sil'ch as a desk, 'table or the like., 1or which .may be hung on ra btilkhead, wall Vor `the like.

A further object is to provide a chart table over which a series of charts which have been secured together may be advanced or retracted from position over a at surface.

A still further object is to provide a chart table over which a series of charts may be held at against a surface for inspection and use.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a broken away view in front elevation,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view,

Fig. 3 is a broken away view in side elevation,

Fig. 4 is a broken away view in side elevation showing the chart table in position for use,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal cross-section on the line 5-5 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrows,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal cross-section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows, n

Fig. '7 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical crosssection on the line 'I-'I of Fig. 3, looking` in the direction of the arrows, and

y:secured to one side vmember fof the frame 4 :so

that, when not yin use., Vthe leg 6 may be .hinged vthe .position `in which .it .is rshow-n in the figures (except Fig. 4.). When 'the .leg 1i .is held .in this position, it :is .friotio'nalzly .held by ra. :springpressed ball bearing 8 of 4conventional design. In Fig. 4, the leg 6 is shown in .a .position tolhold the chart 'table at `a .slant .relative to the `ltullsneas it te which iti-s hingedly :secured by means 4of-the ear SI12 'which .is provided 'with 'a hole :for the ...insertion ynf #a nail, screw, .hook V'or llug ipositioned in the .bulk-:head I0..

vWith 'the chart table 'thus Iconstructed, I attach to opposite 'cor-ners thereof outstanding plates Ia'preftrably of .relatively thinfsheet a dfw plates are provided with a s'uh'stani'iai-Iy wide slot -cut approximately 1in the .longitudinal vten-ter thereof. y

In the slots above referred to in the 'plates I6, I provide a slide I8, which also is preferably of metal. The slide I8 is provided with grooves @opposite sides and into which the edges of the plate I6 are adapted to lit so that the slide I8 may be adjusted relative to the plate I6 by sliding up and down in the slot provided in the plate.

The slide I8 is drilled in the approximate center thereof for a relatively short shaft 20 to pass therethrough. The shaft, on one end thereof has a crank 22 attached, and on the other end has secured thereto a circular plate 24. The circular plate 24 is provided with two studs 26 outstanding from the plate on the side thereof remote from the shaft 20. These studs 26 are adapted to be inserted in holes provided for the same in a circular plate 2l attached to one end of the roller 28, which is provided for the charts to be Wound upon. The slide I8 is spring-urged toward the chart table by the tension spring 30 which is attached at one end thereof to the slide I8 and at the other end to the plate I6.

At the other end of the roller (and the opposite side of the chart table) I provide a similar construction but the short shaft passing through the plate I8 on this side extends therethrough to provide a pivot point for the end of the roller. With this construction it will be understood that the roller 28 will be held by the shaft 20 extending through the plates I8, and will be spring-urged toward the chart table.

The roller 28 is provided with a radial slot 29 extending approximately throughout its length. The slot 29 is relatively narrow, such as a sawkerf and is preferably from about halt to threequarters of an inch deep. This slot is provided so that an edge of a chart may be inserted therein for the purpose of holding the chart on the roller 28 for the purpose of being Wound therearound.

Secured to the chart table, and extending slightly above the surface thereof, I provide small rollers 32. These rollers 32 are positioned directly beneath the rollers 28 and in axial alignment therewith. These rollers 32 are provided so that' the chart wound around the rollers 28 will be held between the rollers 28 and 32, and will be spaced slightly apart from the surface of the plywood 2 of the chart table.

By the use of my chart table it will be seen that several charts may be secured together and wound upon a pair of rollers 28 which may be readily inserted in their proper positions on my chart table, presenting the desired chart for inspection, measurement and course drafting, by merely rolling and unrolling, respectively, from one roller or the other. In this manner charts may be conveniently handled and changed when desired. Also the desired chart will be held in a fiat position on the chart table so that desired, and necessary, mariners instruments can be conveniently and accurately used. Also the chart table may be conveniently moved from one place of use to another.

While it is obvious that I have designed my chart table primarily for use in connection with the normal and official coast and geodetic charts,

-yet it will be readily understood that it may be utilized in connection with the use of charts or Amaps produced for and used by aeronautical Obviously also, road maps for auto- L- for such use.

I claim: 1. A chart table including a flat rectangular surface, outstanding plates secured on opposite 4 edges near the corners of said rectangular surface, slides engaging the said outstanding plates, rollers interposed between said outstanding plates, axles passing through the said slides and engaging the ends of the said rollers, and tension springs drawing the slides and rollers toward the said nat rectangular surface.

2. A chart table including a flat rectangular surface, outstanding plates secured on opposite edges near the corners of said rectangular surface, slides engaging the said outstanding plates, rollers interposed between said outstanding plates, axles passing through the said slides and engaging the ends of the said rollers, and tension springs drawing the slides and rollers toward the said flat rectangular surface, secondary rollers outstanding from the rectangular surface and positioned to be axially parallel with the axes of the said first mentioned rollers, the said secondary rollers bearing against the said first-mentioned rollers.

3. In a chart table a flat rectangular surface, plates outstanding from said surface near the corners thereof, slides mounted in grooves in said plates, axles passing through said slides, rollers interposed between oppositely positioned axles, secondary rollers mounted on the said at surface and axially parallel with the axes of the said rst mentioned rollers, and a strip of flexible material adapted to be wound on the said first mentioned rollers and to pass between those said rollers and the said secondary rollers.

4. In a chart table a fiat rectangular surface, plates outstanding from the said rectangular surface near the corners thereof, slides mounted in grooves in the said plates, stub axles extending through the said plates and adapted to engage a roller positioned between the said plates. secondary rollers extending above the said flat surface, and axially parallel with the axes of the said rst mentioned rollers, and springs urging the said rollers into engagement with the said secondary rollers.

EPPA L. DODSON.

EFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 532,569 Leflingwell Jan. 15, 1895 1,322,649 Sumner Nov. 25, 1919 

